Fade |A Lilo Fic AU|

1) Bright and Blue

[This chapter is dedicated @shelbyfordham because she helped me write it]

Liam's POV

"Don't work too hard Liam," my favorite, and regular patient, Gretta Albeck told me. Gretta was 84 years old, her memory slowly diminishing. She calls 911 a lot, because she always forgets where she is. It's a matter of nuerons and months before she's moved into a home. She's very kind, and no matter how much she forgot, she always seemed to remember me. It was really touching, she always asked for me when she came in. Apparently, she wasn't the sweet old lady I came to know unless I was her nurse. If anyone else was she was a "demon of death." Not my words.

"I'll try Gretta, get some rest okay? I'll be back in the morning to check up on you."

"Liam before you leave, I want you to know something," she reached out with a frail hand for my rather large one, "I have always thought of you like a son, you know that right?" I nodded. Gretta's children had left her and never looked back. It was heartbreaking. She always told me that I was like her 'good' son, purely because I came back for her every morning. "Well, before I die, I just want one thing. And that is for you to be happy. You seem lonely Liam, your job is all you have. Find someone and share your life with them, please Liam. For me, find someone."

I nodded again, and gave her hand a squeeze. "I promise Gretta," I fasley told her. I wasn't lonely at all. I was happy. I didn't need anyone at all. And with a kiss to her temple, I left the hospital.

I sighed as I walked down the semi-crowded streets of London. It had been a long day at work. I couldn't care less though. That's all that mattered to me, sure people loved me for my work and always wanted my help on their rounds but so what? It didn't matter. I was helping them, I was saving lives. And that's all that I cared about.

At least that was what I told myself.

I opened up my flat to see that nothing had changed. I was always worrying someone would break in while I was away. I was swimming in overtime money because I really never left the hospital. I loved that place and all the people in it. And with the extra pounds from the time I never spent at home, I had bought a rather nice one. It was a very spacious flat, a large kitchen, big living area, and three and a half bedrooms. One was my own, a large master bed, with a very nice bathroom that I kept spotless, I was a bit of a neat freak, another room I turned into an office, one into just a normal guest bedroom... well by guest I mean my best mate Zayn who seemed to crash here every other night, and the half was my library. It was my private room. No one was allowed in, not even Zayn and he knew that. Book shelves lined the walls of the smaller room, all except one. That wall had a padded, small bench, but other than that, it was a huge window looking out into the beautiful city of London. Quite the view if I do say so myself. The bench seat lifts up and theres a small compartment where I keep all my journals and notebooks in. Writing comes naturally to me. Whenever something happens to me, I go to a pencil and all the words that are impossible for me to speak, flows out on to the paper in a beautiful work of art. No one really knows that I write, well my mum did. But currently, no one does.

I walked to my room, opened the door and flopped down onto my made bed not-so gracefully. My stomach grumbled but I wasn't in the mood to start walking again. Ignoring the call from my belly, I cuddled under my covers, scrubs in all. The only thing I did take off was my lanyard with my name card on it that allowed me to get into the hospital. I set it on my bedside table and my alarm clock read 2:33am. I groaned knowing I only had 3 and a half hours before I had to get back up. I turned away from the clock and decided to relish the time I had for sleep and, slowly but surely, my eye lids involuntarily drifted closed.

The next morning I woke up to The Script's Long Gone and Moved On blaring from my speakers. It may be a bit of an older song, but it is and forever will be one of my favorites. Sitting up, I fumbled for the snooze button to silence the singing. After hitting my mark, I rubbed my hands up and down my face before getting up and heading into my bathroom to shower.

After taking a 3 minute shower, throwing on some clean scrubs, and grabbing an apple, I headed out for the short 5 minute walk to the hospital.  I took a bite into the crisp red apple as I enjoyed the screnery of early morning London. I grew up in a rather small town and I had hated it. Here, there's new people to meet everyday. Especially at my work.

The doors to the hospital slid open as I stood and flashed my key card at the emplyee entrance. A cool air hit my skin as I walked in and I shuddered as goosebumps began to form. I walked briskly through the lower levels of the hospital and up to the second floor. The floor where Gretta was staying.

I knocked on the open doorframe lightly before stepping inside. The dear old lady was bickering with a rather new ER Tech about a pill.

"Ma'am you have to take this pill."

"You know what I want to do with that pill?"

"Swallow it down with some water?" the young ER Tech tried.

"No I want to shove it up your ar-"

"Gretta!" I exclaimed pretending to be shocked at her word choice when really, I wasn't at all. This "sweet" woman could swear like a sailor. "Gretta, you really should take the pill," I told her seriously. She took one look at me, rolled her eyes, and grabbed the pill and Dixie cup full of water and downed both. The ER Tech sighed, took the now empty Dixie cup and walked towards the door.

"Thanks for the help," she told me.

"Your welcome," I told her back smiling. She blushed and mumbled something before leaving the room.

"You know Liam, if I knew you were gonna force me into things I wouldn't have told you to come back," Gretta grumbled as I sat down on the chair next to her bed.

"Aw come on you know you love me," I said smiling.

"Maybe, but I hate those stupid pills more," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Is there anything you need before I have to go?"

"You won't be my nurse today?"

"No, sorry Gretta."

"Darn, but I do need one thing..."

"Yeah?"

"For lunch, I don't want any of that nasty hospital 'food,'" she moved her fingers in a way to resemble quotation marks.

"Ok then, what do you want?"

"I want you to go to McDonald's and get me a Big Mac and fries, can you do that for me? I haven't had those fries in ages, and," she reached out with a small hand, gripping my favorite purple scrubs, and brought my face close to hers, "I need them."

I laughed at the seriousness in her voice. "Okay, will do," I stood up, and began to leave.

"So Liam, have you found anyone yet?" Gretta asked me. I stopped walking. I really wasn't looking for anyone. I didn't need anyone did I? I was perfectly happy alone wasn't I? I mean, that's what I've been telling myself all these years, and no one has told me any different.

"Gretta, I'm perfectly fine really," I said softly, not turning around because I wasn't 100% sure about my words.

"Look at me please," I did as she told me, but didn't take a step toward her. "You deserve to be happy Liam, and you may tell yourself this place makes you happy, but I know you know it doesn't. Working at this place may be rewarding yes, but you need to be happy. If you can't do that on your own, find someone to help you. Find someone to love Liam."

I opened my mouth to say something back to her but an intercom announcing my presence in a different room interrupted me.

Nurse Payne to room 584, Nurse Payne to room 584.

"I gotta go," I kissed her temple before running out the door to meet my new patient.

When I got to the room, I took a step inside, not looking at the patient.

"Hello, what seems to be the problem tod-"

I stopped short when my eyes met the bluest and brightest eyes I had ever seen in my life looking back at me. His brown hair flopped over right above his eyes, and his tanned skin only seemed to sharpen the color of his eyes more. He seemed a little awestruck to, before that exterior was broken away with a smile. Crinkling his eyes up and making them seem, if possible, even more blue.

"Hi, I'm Louis."